Match-carrier.



A. KELLEY.

MATCH CARRIER.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 13,1911.

Patented May 21, 1918.

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ALEXANDER KELLEY, OF WILMINGTON, DELAWARE, ASSIG-NOR TO CLIMAX MACHINE 00., OF WILMINGTON, DELAWARE, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

MATCH-CARRIER.

Application filed July 13, 1917.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALEXANDER KELLEY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Wilmington, in the county of New Castle and State of Delaware, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Match- Carriers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to match machinery and has special reference to the construction of the carrier by which the matches are conveyed from the splint-forming mechanism past the clipping tanks and brought to a point of discharge. The object of the present invention is to provide a carrier or conveyer which will' effectually hold the matches during their travel and will permit their rapid and easy ejectment after their heads have been dried and the matches have been brought to the delivery mechanism.

The invention is fully illustrated in the accompanying'drawings and its novel features will be particularly pointed out in the claims following a detailed description.

In the drawings,

Figure 1 is a perspective view of one section of the carrier;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged longitudinal section of a portion of the carrier showing the matches in position therein;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail section of a portion of the carrier, the position of a match being indicated by dotted lines.

In carrying out my invention, I employ endless chains which may be of any type and are adapted to run in suitable guides at the sides of the match machine and receive motion from any preferred mechanism. These endless chains are provided with boxes 1 at intervals which are adapted to receive the ends of the carrier bars 2 whereby the conveyer will be caused to travel with the chains. Against the outer sides of these carrier bars 2 are alinement rods 3 which retain the match-engaging jaws 4 in opera tive position. The match-engaging jaws are constructed of spring metal and are disposed in alined sections so that if one section of the conveyer should be broken the damaged section may be easily removed and a new one substituted therefor without requiring a new entire transverse member. The alined sections are clearly shown in Fig. 1. Each section comprises a base portion 5 of U- shaped cross sectional form adapted to fit Specification of Letters Patent.

Serial No. 180,403.

around three sides of the carrier bar 2, as clearly shown. Above or at the outer side of the U-shaped base portion 5 the sides of the jaws are expanded laterally in curved form so as to fit around the alinement bars 3 but the curved portion of the jaws will be formed on a somewhat greater diameter than the bars, as shown most clearly in Fig. 3, so that there will be play between the jaws and the bars permitted. The curved port-ions 6 of the match-engaging members have their free edges brought close together and then turned inwardly, as shown at 7, to provide longitudinal ribs, lips, or flanges, adapted to enter the longitudinal grooves 8 in the alinement bars. The edges of the match-engaging members will thus be retained in place and will serve more or less as fulcrums about which the jaws may expand so'as to engage and hold a match.

It is thought'the operation of the inrproved carrier will be readily understood from the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings. Adjacent the splint-for1ning mechanism, the carrier is caused to travel over a thrust plate 9 so that the splints driven from the splint forming mechanism and forced between the adjacent jaws may be driven against said thrust plate and thereby forced between the jaws to a uniform extent. As shown in Fig. 2, the splints are driven between the outer opposed faces of adjacent jaws and to facili tate and aid in the proper engagement of the splints by the jaws, the outer faces of the jaws are constructed with grooves 10, as clearly shown, which are so spaced as to be in alinement with the paths of the splints emerging from the splint-forming mechanism. As the outer ends of the splints enter between the adjacent splint-engaging members they will bear upon the bases of the grooves 10 and will thereby compress the same against the alinement, bars 3 and the resiliency of the jaws immediately reacts so that the splints will be very effectually clamped and caused to travel with the carrier. When the splints, which have been properly headed and dried so as to become finished matches, reach the delivery mechanism of the machine they may be released from the carrier by the usual ejectors which act in rear of the carrier and impinge upon the inner or rear ends of the matches to punch them from the match-engaging mem- Patented May 21, 1918.

hers. My improved conveyer is very simple in its construction and will effectually grip a large number of splints or matches. The construction and arrangement of the parts being simplified, the weight of the carrier is materially reduced so that the strain upon the machine when in operation is lessened, and it may be economically driven. The resilient match-engaging jaws yield readily to the entrance of the matches and will effectually grip the same whether the splints be round or square and will accommodate splints of all diameters now commonly made. The grooves in the alinement bars will per-- niit sufiicient play of the flanged edges of. the jaws to accommodate later-a1 movement of the grooved portions of the jaws which directly grip the matches or splints and the said grooves cooperating with the angular construction of the carrier bars and the base portion of the jaws will effectually prevent twisting of the jaws which would throw them out of the position in which the splints may be properly engaged- Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. In a match machine, a match carrier comprising resilient jaws adapted to receive and hold splints between their outer opposed faces, and means engaging the edges of the,

jaws between the splints to hold said edges against separation.

2. In a match machine, a carrier comprising transverse carrier bars, splint-engaging members comprising base portions fitting around and held by said carrier bars, and laterally expanded curved portions at the outer sides of the base portions, said expanded portions having grooves in their outer faces to receive and hold the splints,

fitting around said bars and expanded above said base portions to provide resilient jaws whereby matches may bereceived between and held by the jaws on the adjacent bars, alinement bars inserted through the enlarged portions of the match-engaging members and bearing against the carrier bars and prov ded with longitudinal grooves in their surfaces, and retaining l ps on the expanded portions of the match-engaging members fitting within said longitudinal grooves.

5. In a match machine, a match carrier comprisinga plurality of carrier bars, resilient jaws mounted on saidbars and projecting therefrom toward the splint forming mechanism of the match machine, the jaws being expanded above the carrier bar-s whereby the opposed faces of adjacent jaws may engage and hold splints forced between them, and means above the respective carrier bars housed within the jaws on said bars and engaging the edgesof said jaws to constitute a fulcrum for the jaws and prevent spreading of the edges thereof.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

ALEXANDER KELLEY. [1 s] Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the l ommissioner of Batents,

. Washington, D. G. 

